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Text -- Judges 6:1-21 (NET)
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Strongs On/Off
Context
Oppression and Confrontation
6:1 The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight , so the Lord turned them over to Midian for seven years .
6:2 The Midianites overwhelmed Israel . Because of Midian the Israelites made shelters for themselves in the hills , as well as caves and strongholds .
6:3 Whenever the Israelites planted their crops , the Midianites , Amalekites , and the people from the east would attack them.
6:4 They invaded the land and devoured its crops all the way to Gaza . They left nothing for the Israelites to eat, and they took away the sheep , oxen , and donkeys .
6:5 When they invaded with their cattle and tents , they were as thick as locusts . Neither they nor their camels could be counted . They came to devour the land .
6:6 Israel was so severely weakened by Midian that the Israelites cried out to the Lord for help.
6:7 When the Israelites cried out to the Lord for help because of Midian ,
6:8 he sent a prophet to the Israelites . He said to them, “This is what the Lord God of Israel says : ‘I brought you up from Egypt and took you out of that place of slavery .
6:9 I rescued you from Egypt’s power and from the power of all who oppressed you. I drove them out before you and gave their land to you.
6:10 I said to you, “I am the Lord your God ! Do not worship the gods of the Amorites , in whose land you are now living !” But you have disobeyed me .’”
Gideon Meets Some Visitors
6:11 The Lord’s angelic messenger came and sat down under the oak tree in Ophrah owned by Joash the Abiezrite . He arrived while Joash’s son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress so he could hide it from the Midianites .
6:12 The Lord’s messenger appeared and said to him, “The Lord is with you, courageous warrior !”
6:13 Gideon said to him, “Pardon me , but if the Lord is with us, why has such disaster overtaken us? Where are all his miraculous deeds our ancestors told us about? They said , ‘Did the Lord not bring us up from Egypt ?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and handed us over to Midian .”
6:14 Then the Lord himself turned to him and said , “You have the strength . Deliver Israel from the power of the Midianites ! Have I not sent you?”
6:15 Gideon said to him, “But Lord , how can I deliver Israel ? Just look ! My clan is the weakest in Manasseh , and I am the youngest in my family .”
6:16 The Lord said to him, “Ah, but I will be with you! You will strike down the whole Midianite army .”
6:17 Gideon said to him, “If you really are pleased with me, then give me a sign as proof that it is really you speaking with me.
6:18 Do not leave this place until I come back with a gift and present it to you.” The Lord said , “I will stay here until you come back .”
6:19 Gideon went and prepared a young goat , along with unleavened bread made from an ephah of flour . He put the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot . He brought the food to him under the oak tree and presented it to him.
6:20 God’s messenger said to him, “Put the meat and unleavened bread on this rock , and pour out the broth .” Gideon did as instructed.
6:21 The Lord’s messenger touched the meat and the unleavened bread with the tip of his staff . Fire flared up from the rock and consumed the meat and unleavened bread . The Lord’s messenger then disappeared .
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Names, People and Places, Dictionary Themes and Topics
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expand allCommentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes
NET Notes -> Jdg 6:1; Jdg 6:1; Jdg 6:2; Jdg 6:2; Jdg 6:2; Jdg 6:3; Jdg 6:3; Jdg 6:4; Jdg 6:4; Jdg 6:4; Jdg 6:4; Jdg 6:4; Jdg 6:5; Jdg 6:5; Jdg 6:5; Jdg 6:5; Jdg 6:8; Jdg 6:8; Jdg 6:8; Jdg 6:8; Jdg 6:9; Jdg 6:10; Jdg 6:10; Jdg 6:11; Jdg 6:11; Jdg 6:11; Jdg 6:11; Jdg 6:11; Jdg 6:11; Jdg 6:13; Jdg 6:13; Jdg 6:13; Jdg 6:14; Jdg 6:14; Jdg 6:14; Jdg 6:15; Jdg 6:15; Jdg 6:15; Jdg 6:15; Jdg 6:16; Jdg 6:16; Jdg 6:17; Jdg 6:17; Jdg 6:17; Jdg 6:18; Jdg 6:18; Jdg 6:19; Jdg 6:19; Jdg 6:20; Jdg 6:20; Jdg 6:21; Jdg 6:21
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NET Notes: Jdg 6:2 Or possibly “secret storage places.” The Hebrew word occurs only here in the Hebrew Bible.
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NET Notes: Jdg 6:3 Heb “Midian, Amalek, and the sons of the east would go up, they would go up against him.” The translation assumes that וְ...
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NET Notes: Jdg 6:5 Heb “destroy.” The translation “devour” carries through the imagery of a locust plague earlier in this verse.
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NET Notes: Jdg 6:16 Heb “You will strike down Midian as one man.” The idiom “as one man” emphasizes the collective unity of a group (see Judg 20:8...
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NET Notes: Jdg 6:18 Heb “and I will bring out my gift.” The precise nuance of the Hebrew word מִנְחָה (minkhah, R...
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NET Notes: Jdg 6:19 The words “the food” are not in the Hebrew text (an implied direct object). They are supplied in the translation for clarification and for...
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